Recently we received the following question about accepting payments from a GDB reader planning his freelancing debut: Would you recommend I set up a credit card service to receive payments through my future website or is this unnecessary? Is check still the best way to go? These days there are lots of ways to accept payment and the services that make it simple all want a portion of your profits. But all that paperwork nonsense is nonexistent. So here’s a

Maybe you’re a freelancer or an entrepreneur. Maybe you work in a cubicle. Maybe you run an agency. Or maybe you’re a billionaire CEO. Whoever you are, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you have the same desire as the rest of us: You want to be happy at work. Are you happy when you’re working? So, are you happy at work? I mean, not the kind of happy where you’re “just glad to have

The Freelancer’s Union recently announced the ability for members to purchase liability insurance. But as freelance designers, do we really need it? Truthfully, when I read the “hey, we’re now offering liability insurance” email, I wondered what, exactly, that entails. According to their website, there are three main types NOTE: I am not a lawyer, nor am I offering professional or legal advice. The following are just my observations and conclusions as a fellow freelance designer. Please seek legal advice

What’s better, being an expert at one thing or not too bad at a few things? By being a jack of all trades, would you get more work? Yes and no. Yes, because you’ll be more capable to take on projects you normally wouldn’t. And no, because if you focus your strengths and become an expert at it, you’ll get more quality leads. Either way, would you get more work? Probably not. At least not quality work. You might get

“Well, maybe just one more day to see if they pay.” Have you ever said this to yourself? (I have.) One of the most troublesome parts of freelancing is invoicing and collecting payment. Nobody likes to be the bill collector, but sometimes it has to be done – and as freelancers, we get to wear that hat, too. If you’re anything like me, you know that anxious knot that forms in your stomach when you expect a battle over a

Do you feel like your work isn’t good enough? Rates too low because you’re afraid clients won’t pay more? Afraid to contact your dream client because you don’t feel like you’re ready? I’ve had those feelings before. Most of us have. It’s natural to feel insecure at times. As a freelancer you have to live with those feelings and not be afraid to learn from your mistakes. Let’s take a look at just a few different types of insecurities that

Remember when you took tests in school and they required you to memorize everything? It was frustrating, wasn’t it? You knew that in the “real world,” you’d simply look up that formula you only needed to know once every 3 months or so. That’s why I’ve compiled a handy go-to set of web design tools and references – so I don’t have to remember every single obscure detail (or the awesome website that I found it on). Hopefully the list

We always hear about the freelancing vs. working for someone else argument. But why are the two ideas always mutually exclusive? I know tons of freelancers who started freelancing on the side of a full-time job and once ends could meet without the job, they ditched the cubicle and made the switch to freelance. But I also know freelancers who started taking some work on the side and realized they hated freelancing. Imagine if they hadn’t tried it first. My

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